Kathmandu — Actress Swastima Khadka is no stranger to pushing her boundaries on screen, but in an candid conversation with journalists, she has revealed that her upcoming film Laalibazar contains what she considers the most different and demanding role of her entire acting career — one she secured not through industry connections, but through an open audition.
"In Laalibazar, I got to do everything an actress could dream of doing," she said. "The subject matter was new and different even for me. For an artist, getting to play such a role is both an opportunity and a challenge."
In the film, Swastima portrays a woman in the sex trade — a role that the film's already released song "Mayalai Ke Diu Ma Baina" and its teaser have begun to hint at. The actress acknowledged that further promotional materials will give audiences a clearer picture of her character, but made one thing clear: "This is different from anything I have done so far."
A Decade In, Her First Audition
Perhaps the most surprising revelation from Swastima was about how she came to be part of the project in the first place. After more than ten years in the Nepali film industry, Laalibazar marks the first time she auditioned for a role.
"After completing a decade of acting, for the first time I got cast in a film — Laalibazar — through an audition," she said. She explained that her belief in the production group Shatkona Arts and the weight of the film's social subject matter were what motivated her to go through the audition process, setting aside any notion that her established status entitled her to skip it.
It is a telling moment of artistic humility — and one that speaks volumes about how seriously she is taking this particular film.
About the Film
Laalibazar is a socially rooted drama directed by Yam Thapa, set against the world of sex work and the complex human lives within it. Alongside Swastima, the film stars Rabindra Singh Baniya, child actress Samaira Thapa, Mukunda Shrestha, Abhay Baral, Prem Pande, Asha Poudel, Govinda Sunar, Aabha Aryal, Tara Sharma, Ramesh Badi, Saraswati Adhikari, and debutant Bishal Devkota, among others.
The film is presented by Shatkona Arts and is scheduled to release nationwide on Baisakh 18, 2083 BS.